Carpet Beetles Love to Eat Carpet and Other Things

Carpet beetles are a common pest that infest upholstery, carpet, pillows, and clothing to feed on animal-based items like pet hair and carpet fibers. While carpet beetles are best known for damaging carpeting and fabrics, they can also be a pest in the kitchen and pantry by eating and damaging food products.

Appearance

There are two main types of carpet beetles: black carpet beetles which are oblong, black beetles that range from 1/8″ to 3/16″ and varied carpet beetles which are oval-shaped with a mottled color pattern on the wings. The common or varied carpet beetle can be up to 0.14 inches long with a rounded body and white, brownish, and yellowish patches of scales.

Behavior

Adult carpet beetles can infest a wide variety of materials like wool, comforters, pillows, clothing, upholstered furniture, and carpet. These pests do not feed on synthetic fibers in most cases, but they can still damage synthetic items with food, oil, and perspiration. When outdoors, carpet beetles feed on nectar and pollen. The larvae of the beetle may eat seeds and animal food left outside or in the pantry. While adults can thrive indoors, the female carpet beetle still prefers to lay eggs outdoors where larval food sources are plentiful. Adult carpet beetles are capable of flying which allows them to rapidly infest an entire home.

Reproduction

Carpet beetles may go through their entire life cycle within 2 months to many years. Female carpet beetles usually lay their eggs outdoors, but they may lay eggs indoors or in the nests of birds and mice. Adults mate near a light source before the female lays up to 100 eggs that hatch into larvae in 7 to 35 days.

Controlling a Carpet Beetle Infestation

A carpet beetle infestation can quickly spread throughout your home. Carpet beetles usually get indoors through windows, doors, and tiny openings, but they may be brought in on flowers as well. An infestation can become widespread before it is discovered as the larvae and adults prefer to remain hidden in dark areas. Professional pest control is the recommended course of action to completely eradicate a carpet beetle infestation in your home. Carpet beetle infestations may be eradicated through a combination of freezing, scent traps, and insecticides. Contact Pest Defense Solutions today for a custom treatment plan to get rid of your pest problem.

Carpenter bees are large bees that are up to 25 mm long, depending on the species. In the U.S., there are two genera of carpenter bees: small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and large carpenter bees (Xylocopa). Large carpenter bees are the type most likely to become a pest.

Appearance

Small carpenter bees are less than 8 mm long while large carpenter bees are up to 25 mm long. Large carpenter bees look similar to bumble bees although they do not have visible hairs on the abdomen. Carpenter bees come in many colors such as black, metallic blue, or purple-blue. The males have yellow sections on their face while both genders have hair on the abdomen and legs. The small carpenter bees are usually darker in color. Bee pest control in El Paso can and will be important if you come in contact with a large group of bees.

Image by: http://upload.wikimedia.org

Behavior

Carpenter bees are solitary bees, which means they do not live in colonies. These bees eat plant pollen and nectar, but they can damage woodwork because they excavate dry, weathered wood on doors, windowsills, roof eaves, decks, fences, and wood lawn furniture. Carpenter bees are usually fond of oak posts in rail fences. While this bee prefers Cyprus, oak, fir, and pine, they will damage other types of wood.

While female carpenter bees can sting, they rarely do so unless they are directly threatened. The male bees are often found near the nest, but they do not have a stinger.

Reproduction

Unlike most bees and wasps, carpenter bees are solitary creatures. Some species of carpenter bees do create small nests in which mothers and daughters live. Despite the fact that they do not form colonies, it’s common to find many carpenter bees nesting near each other. The founding bee is responsible for foraging, building the nest, laying the eggs, and guarding the nest.

Carpenter bees may employ one of two mating strategies. Among species in which male bees have large eyes, the male searches for a female then pursues. Among species in which males have small heads, the males release a pheromone as they fly to attract females. Some species of small carpenter bees are capable of producing without males.

Do You Have a Carpenter Bee Infestation?

Carpenter bees leave very recognizable entrance holes when they bore into wood. Female bees chew round entrances into flat wood surfaces. These holes are usually about 1/2″ wide, or about the diameter of the bee’s body. The holes are perfectly circular and look like they were drilled with a drill bit. Upon inspection, you may see that the hole goes into the wood perpendicular to the grain for an inch or two before turning sharply. You may notice pollen or bee droppings near the entrance.

Carpenter bees are beneficial insects as they are pollinators. They can be a pest, though, and it is possible for the bees to cause structural damage to furniture, posts, and roof eaves. If you have a problem with carpenter bees on your property, contact Pest Defense Solutions to discuss population control options.

Carpenter Ants Pest Control, Can Destroy Wood

Carpenter ants are among the largest ants in the United States and they are found throughout the country. Carpenter ants are a major pest problem because they destroy wood in your home to make tunnels and galleries.

Appearance

Carpenter ants range in size from 1/4″ to 1/2″ long, among the largest ants in the country. The queen carpenter ant is usually 3/4″ long. While most are black, some carpenter ant species are red or yellowish in color. The most common color variant is the black carpenter ant with reddish legs. Carpenter ants have large mandibles that are used for chewing through wood grain.

Behavior

While carpenter ants do not eat wood like termites, they can cause extensive damage to woodwork in your home. Carpenter ants live in hollow or dead wood, and they will cut galleries and tunnels into wood to form nests and passages. Carpenter ants build two types of colonies: a parent colony and satellite colonies. The main colony is home to the queen, a brood, and workers. Satellite colonies are comprised entirely of worker ants, older larvae, and pupae.

Reproduction

A queen carpenter ant will lay anywhere from 9 to 16 eggs during her first year, and she can live up to 25 years. Eggs mature into adult carpenter ants after 6-12 weeks. Mating season for carpenter ants occurs in the spring or summer when a colony produces swarmers or winged carpenter ants. These swarmers mate, at which point the female sheds her wings and the male dies. The female ant establishes a new colony and lays eggs that first become worker ants. The worker ants are responsible for foraging for food, building passages, and creating the colony. It can take 3-6 years for a carpenter ant to establish a stable colony. After another two years, the queen will begin to produce swarmers to start another colony.

Signs of an Infestation

Worker ants. You may see worker ants moving around your home, especially during the spring as they forage for food. Carpenter ants in your home do not necessarily indicate an infestation; the ants may be foraging for food in your house while living outdoors.

Swarmers. Flying ants or swarmers emerge from a mature colony when it’s ready to start a new colony. Flying carpenter ants can resemble flying termites, and they swarm at the same time. Carpenter ants have pinched waists and bent antennae.

Debris. Carpenter ants leave debris of wood shavings mixed with ant parts as they cut through wood. Rough shavings mixed with ant parts are a good indicator of carpenter ant activity in your home.

If you are seeing more and more activity from ants in general, then there is a good chance that you need some type of ant pest control in El Paso. You will want to contact a professional pest control company for this.

If you suspect a carpenter ant infestation in your home, contact Pest Defense Solutions El Paso Texas right away. It’s important to find the nest and remove or treat it to control the infestation. When treated early, carpenter ant infestations rarely cause significant damage. If they are allowed to continue, carpenter ants can eventually cause structural damage to your home.

Brown Recluse Spiders Have Painful Bites

The brown recluse or fiddle-back spider is a species of Loxosceles. There are 11 species of Loxosceles native to the U.S., and four can be harmful to people. Brown recluse spiders are found in 15 states in the United States, including many parts of Texas. While the bite of a brown recluse spider is very rarely life-threatening, the bite can produce very painful symptoms.

Appearance

The adult brown recluse spider is a dull yellow or dark brown color with no stripes or spots on the abdomen. Most brown recluse spiders are 6 to 11 mm in length with a body that can be as wide as a quarter. Juvenile spiders are light in color. The classic characteristic of the spider is a dark brown violin-shaped marking on the dorsum of the light brown or yellowish cephalothorax. The neck of the violin shape points toward the abdomen. Other spiders do have a similar violin pattern like the cellar spider. The best way to identify the brown recluse is to see the eyes as well. Most spiders have 8 eyes, but the brown recluse spider has 6 eyes in pairs with one median pair and two lateral pairs.

Behavior

As their name implies, brown recluse spiders are shy. They usually live in dark places in basements, barns, and homes. These spiders rarely bite people unless they are provoked. Brown recluse spiders are venomous and the bites may not be painful. Someone who has been bitten may not notice until symptoms develop. While most bites become red and fade, it is possible to develop tissue damage or necrosis from a bite.

Brown recluse spiders may make their way into your home in search of food or if they are brought inside in a box. This species usually makes messy nests that are built at ground level. The web is not used for catching prey as the spider hunts for insects like cockroaches and grasshoppers.

Reproduction

A female brown recluse spider will create anywhere from 1 to 5 egg sacs during the spring that may contain a few dozen or up to 300 eggs. These eggs hatch after one month and the spiderlings take about one year to develop to adulthood. Spiderlings grow slowly and take about 11 months to mature.

Control Brown Recluse Spider Infestations

If you have brown recluse spiders near your home, it’s important to take action. Brown recluse spiders can be dangerous to pets and small children, and a bite can produce serious side effects in adults as well. If you see recluse spiders near a woodpile or anywhere on your property, stay away. They will usually avoid people and only bite when they are threatened. Contact Pest Defense Solutions for an inspection of your home and custom pest control solutions like insecticide spray treatment to control the population.

Brown Dog Tick Pest Control

The brown dog tick is found throughout the world. This species gets its name for the brown color and the fact that it is usually found on pet dogs. While brown dog ticks do not usually bite humans, they may do so if the dog host is no longer available. Brown dog ticks are known carriers of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and several other tick-borne diseases like canine babesia and canine ehrlichiosis.

Appearance

Brown dog ticks are about 3 mm long unengorged or up to 1/2″ when engorged with blood. They are usually reddish brown but their color can be a gray-blue when engorged. As larvae, brown dog ticks have six legs. Nymphs and adults have eight legs. Adults have an oval-shaped, flattened body.

Behavior

Brown dog ticks usually infest dogs. While they usually attach close to the ears or between the toes, they can be found anywhere on the dog at various stages of life. Unlike most species of ticks, brown dog ticks can go through their entire life cycle indoors. These ticks thrive indoors in dry, warm conditions such as a kennel, which has earned this species the nickname “kennel ticks.”

This type of tick is referred to as a three-host tick, which means it drops off the host after a meal but before each developmental stage. It is possible for a brown dog tick to remain on the same host for its entire life.

A tick infestation in the home is usually introduced by a pet dog. Sometimes the infestation is not apparent until ticks are visible crawling on floors or walls. When the problem has become this apparent this is when you are going to need professional help and flea and tick pest control is what you need by a pest control company, call us today at (915) 591-2847

Reproduction

After a blood meal, a female brown dog tick will lay up to 3,000 eggs on a flat surface. These eggs are usually found on window casings, baseboards, furniture, the edges of rugs, and curtains. The female dies shortly after depositing the eggs, which hatch in 20 to 60 days. The tiny larvae will attach to a dog as soon as possible, but they can live up to 8 months without blood. After attaching to a host, the larvae will become engorged and leave the host to molt in one to three weeks and transform into a nymph. The nymph will once more find a host and engorge over a period of 4 to 9 days. The nymph will detach and molt into an adult flea in 12 to 29 days, then seek a dog again. Adult ticks can survive for up to 19 months without food. After engorging on blood for up to 50 days, the adult will mate, drop off the dog, and lay eggs.

Ticks can produce up to 4 generations per year under ideal conditions.

Managing Brown Dog Ticks

Brown dog tick infestations can be difficult to control, especially a large infestation in the home. A large-scale infestation requires professional pest control and a four-stage process that involves sanitation of the home, treatment of the dog, indoor treatments, and outdoor pest control. If you are dealing with a brown dog tick infestation on your dog or in your home, contact Pest Defense Solutions today for help. Call us at (915) 591-2847

Bed Bugs Today More Resistant to Treatment Than Ever Before

The United States is currently experiencing a bed bug epidemic. These pests — once nearly eradicated after WWII — have re-emerged with a vengeance. Bed bugs in the United States are now resistant to oneonicotinoids, the most widely used insecticide, and resistance is on the rise. Bed bugs are the worst nightmare of travelers everywhere, who often pick up the bugs and carry them home in their luggage or clothing, only to experience a bed bug infestation in their own home. While they are not known to spread disease, bed bugs are a major pest problem in all areas of the world.

Appearance

Bed bugs are tiny, flat, reddish-brown insects that may be up to 5 mm in size, or the size of an apple seed.
Behavior
Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices, usually on and near beds. They may be found in mattress seams, sheets, behind baseboards and electrical outlet plates, and inside drawers. Bed bugs are known to live for up to one year without blood. These insects are usually active at night. While they cannot fly, they can move very quickly.

Bed bugs are very skilled at hitching rides on luggage and clothing. This is their primary means of spreading.

Reproduction

A female bed bug can lay up to 5 eggs a day or up to 500 over its life. Bed bugs may live for up to 300 days in ideal conditions. Bed bugs reproduce using traumatic insemination. Rather than using a genital tract, male bed bugs pierce the female’s abdomen with their genitalia and inject sperm through the wound. The sperm migrates until it reaches the ovaries. After mating, female bed bugs will attempt to avoid mating again and move farther away. This process of traumatic insemination increases the likelihood that bed bugs hitching a ride on luggage and people are pregnant females.

Females will carry sperm and produce eggs for up to 6 weeks. The female will lay eggs almost continuously as long as she has access to blood. A single pregnant female bed bug that makes its way into your home can lead to 5,000 bed bugs within 6 months.

Signs of an Infestation

Bugs. You may see adult bugs about the size of an apple seed on and near the mattress. Search corners and seams of the mattress and box spring as well as cracks in the headboard.

Bites. You may notice bite marks that indicate a bed bug infestation. This is not the best indication, as the bites resemble bites from other insects. Some people do not have a reaction to bed bug bites.

Reviews

Everyone is incredibly nice and professional. I've never had any issues with the company at all. Used to have ant problem in the kitchen during the summer months, but didn't see a single ant or other critter since I hired Pest Defense Solutions. They are punctual and I really appreciate the service reminder texts.

Note: Check pricing before committing to pest services. Made the mistake of not understanding contract before hand.
After obtaining services from Pest defense Solutions, I was well satisfied with their services. Their technicians were professional, knowledgeable in their chemicals usage, and provided excellent customer service which I take seriously in every business that I deal with. I had two major ant holes in front and back yard and very small ants underneath the sink in kitchen area. Since my last visit, (July 2016) I no long have those pesky critters lurking on premises.
Well worth the expense!

The tech from this company was extremely knowledgeable. He was able to remove a wasps nest and let my boys look at the remains. They thought it was so cool! I'm happy with the product and the price is definitely reasonable for the area.

Pest Defense Solutions El Paso is one of the best pest control company in El Paso TX. I hate to admit that my building had bed bugs in El Paso TX but I have no problem mentioning that Pest Defense Solutions El Paso did a fantastic job at removing them. Such a great company and I would highly recommend this company to everyone.

We never have anything bad to say about PDS! Christian was on time (even a little earlier) he is very professional and polite. They take care of our home just like it would be their own. I always recommend PDS!

Legal Menu

ABOUT PEST DEFENSE SOLUTIONS EL PASO

Pest Defense Solutions is the premier pest control company and extermination provider in El Paso, Texas. Our effective treatments ensure that these insects stay out of your home or business. Call us for a free estimate on pest control & exterminator in EL Paso (915) 591-2847